The present invention is directed to low calorie fat substitutes. More specifically, it is directed to an emulsion containing protein, fat and carbohydrate which is useful as a low calorie fat substitute.
In today's health conscious society, there is a growing demand for low calorie foods. Excess body weight not only creates a feeling of low self-confidence in social situations but also has been shown to contribute to the impairment of the cardiovascular function of the individual. Moreover, the reduction of the physical performance capacity of the individual is another consequence of excess body weight.
Many approaches have been suggested to control excess body weight. The use of chemical appetite suppressors and appetite inhibitors is a well known approach but these chemical agents are often unsafe for long term use and/or have undesirable side effects. Moreover, they are usually available only through a physician's prescription.
Low-calorie foods have also been widely advocated as a diet regimen to control excess body weight. Such low-calorie foods include low-calorie spreads, which are typically water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions; and low calorie sauces, such as salad dressings and mayonnaise, which are typically oil-in-water emulsions.
One other approach generally undertaken in the production of low-calorie foods is to increase the protein content, thereby decreasing the fat content. This approach is referred to in a number of United States Patents.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,642,492, 3,644,326, 3,689,288, 3,708,307, 4,057,655, 3,723,407, 4,058,510, 4,079,154, 4,089,987, 4,091,116, 4,104,413, 4,113,716, 4,125,630, 4,140,808, 3,892,873, 3,899,605, 3,800,052, 3,798,339, 3,852,503, 3,853,839, 3,843,828, 3,842,062, 3,829,592, 3,865,956, 3,870,811, 3,873,751, 3,922,375, 3,930,039, 3,935,323, 3,969,534, 4,147,810, 4,307,118, 3,793,464, 3,642,490, 3,642,493, 3,914,435, 3,930,056, 4,072,610, 4,031,261, 3,757,005, 3,978,243, 3,982,039, 4,007,283, 4,018,752, 4,029,825, 4,137,329, 4,186,218, 4,194,018, 4,103,038, 4,031,267, 4,275,084, 4,271,201, 4,169,160, 4,183,970, 4,188,141, 4,194,019, 4,205,904, 4,325,977, 4,333,958, 4,143,174, 4,376,133, 4,486,345, 4,497,836, 4,560,454, 4,279,939, 4,340,612, 4,293,571, 4,362,761, 4,267,100, 4,265,924, 4,260,636, 4,259,361, 4,251,562, 4,248,895, 4,247,566, 4,218,940, and 4,230,738 all refer to the use of vegetable, animal, egg, and/or milk proteins in various compositions as well as referring to various processes for the formation of these compositions and/or improved processes for extraction and treatment of vegetable, egg, animal and/or milk proteins.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,690 refers to acidified imitation dairy foods comprising a fat, milk solids, or an edible protein, water or milk, an edible emulsifier, and a mixture of a Xanthomonas colloid and locust bean gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,778 refers to a low calorie spreadable food product containing the additive formed by extracting soybean protein, acidifying and then precipitating the extracted protein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,892 refers to a method for making a low calorie cream cheese product comprising providing a mixture of water and cottage cheese curd, adding a fat source to the mixture to provide a substrate and adding non-fat milk solids to the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,964 refers to an artificial cream-type food product having a continuous liquid aqueous phase comprising a dispersed oil phase and gelled water beads.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,503 refers to a food containing a whey colloidal precipitate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,893 refers to a acidified whole milk beverage containing locust bean gum as a stabilizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,970 refers to a water in oil emulsion (w/o) comprising a continuous fatty phase, a dispersed liquid aqueous phase and dispersed, gelled, aqueous spherical ingredients.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,175 refers to an imitation cream cheese product containing milk, milk-fats and dry cottage cheese curd.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,825 refers to a low fat spread containing a dispersed phase consisting of a cream comprising water and oil, a thickening agent and heat denatured whey protein as an emulsion stabilizer and a continuous fat phase.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,832 refers to a stabilized dressing containing acetic acid in combination with a buffering salt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,835 refers to a base thickener comprising a mixture of glutamic acid and acetic or citric acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,983 refers to a process for making a low fat imitation cream cheese by adding dry cottage cheese curd.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,370 refers to a process for the production of microencapsulated lipids in proteinaceous matter.
Existing fat substitute technologies focus on the mouthfeel of foods, substituting viscosifying agents to mimic the rheology of foods rich in oils and fats. The quality of low fat foods is generally poor, being easily distinguishable from that of full fat foods. For example, in taste panel comparison of full-fat with low fat mayonnaise, the initial flavor of both is pleasant but the rich texture and mouthfeel is virtually absent from the low-fat mayonnaise. The lack of a rich mouthfeel is viewed quite negatively in taste panel testing. The most frequent comments describing this effect are "watery, weak or flat". As a result, the low-fat mayonnaise is considered to be distinctly inferior to the full-fat mayonnaise. To reduce the fat content of their diets, consumers appear to be willing to sacrifice the richness of full fat foods for the health benefits of texturally inferior low-fat products. Development of a fat substitute that possesses a rich aftertaste is perceived as a major need in the improvement of low-fat foods.